Opposites
by Deaddlykissesno3
Summary: Mal/Kaylee. Sleepless nights have the mechanic and her Captain changing their minds about each other.


TITLE: Opposites

TITLE: Opposites

AUTHOR: Me, dragontamerno3, Steffy

RATING: PGish

FANDOM: Firefly

PAIRING: Mal/Kaylee

TIMELINE: None

WORD COUNT: 1472

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Joss does.

They always thought they were completely opposite. She was the sweetest thing in the verse while he was always grumpy. She would light up the entire room with one of her smiles, where as he rarely even smiled. He would stomp around, growling at anyone who came close, but she would wander over and kiss him on the cheek. He was night and she was day. The were nothing alike.

"Hows she lookin', Kaylee?" Mal asked the grease covered woman.

"Well she's needs a new-" Kaylee pointed to a box under the engines belly but was cut off by her captain.

"Will she make it to the next moon?" Mal didn't want to listen to her engine talk at the moment. It always got him worked up.

"Yes, sir, she'll make it. I'll look after her." Kaylee smiled brightly, making him frown.

"Good girl." With that he stormed off.

No one ever saw them as the couple type. No one thought he was capable of loving something that fragile, delicate. It was just assumed he would brood in his cabin, missing all the chances of love. The girl was supposed to be family to him, his little sister. When he took care of her, when he gave in easier to her, no one second guessed. Well.. almost no one.

"How we doin'?" Zoe asked as she saw Mal stomp into the dining area of Serenity.

Looking up from the ground, Mal noticed his second in command. "She's hurtin' a little, 'cording to little Kaylee, but we'll make it to the next moon, we'll get the parts we need to fix her up then." Mal sighed and grabbed himself a cup of what looked like coffee.

"Hows 'little Kaylee'?" Zoe asked as Mal sat down.

There was a small hint of a smile on the very corners of his mouth, so remote Zoe almost missed it. Almost. "I think she's depressed." Mal nodded.

"What makes you say that, sir?" Zoe's eye brow raised at his answer.

"I didn't wanna say anything before, she hasn't smiled once since she boarded our fine ship. She's hidin' in her room, wearin' dark clothes..." Mal answered, trying to lighten his mood.

"Ah, yes, sir. I did notice that. It's a damn shame really, pretty face like that." Zoe laughed. "She down there cleaning up the mess you made after them Alliance folks tailed us?"

"She's covered from head to toe in it." Mal's mood returned to its grumpy previous state.

She wasn't as oblivious as he thought. She was sweet, naive, yes, but she did notice what was going on around her. She knew he'd come by just to watch her fiddle with his ship. She knew that when dinner came, if they had real food he'd try his best to get her strawberries. She knew he wasn't as grumpy as he seemed. She even knew that he smiled a lot more with her around.

Mal sat in the pilots car while his crew slept. He was staring out into space, watching the blackness roll passed them and how much of it was still ahead of them. He was so deep in thought he didn't here the footsteps behind him. "Cap'n?"

"Huh? Oh! Kaylee, what are doing up?" Mal said, pointing to the empty co-pilot car, signalling her to join him if she wanted.

"Couldn't sleep. Even tried Serenity's purr to put me out, nothin' seems to work tonight. Don't you worry, though, Cap'n, I won't be a bother." Kaylee said, sitting down.

"You ain't a bother. Its nice to have some company on nights like this." Mal smiled.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Just 'bout how strange our 'verse was. Just when you think something, it turns around and changes things on ya." Mal replied.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with change. I like change, it lets me try new things." Kaylee smiled.

"Chipper even when tired." Mal stated.

It was hard to say when it happened, but he wasn't lonely with her around. He enjoyed her company, frequently asking if she was sleeping well to see if she would join him at night. He liked talking to her. He wouldn't do a lot of talking but he liked having that option. He wanted to be with her any chance he could.

"Sure, Cap'n! I'll sit up with ya tonight, I'll be there a little late though. 'Nara and I are... well its girl stuff." Kaylee giggled. "She bought me somethings when she was planetside."

Inara smiled at the younger girl. "Just a couple of trinkets and clothes, nothing big. I know most of her nice clothes have grease all over them, so I figured she might want some clean ones."

Kaylee squealed, hugged the woman and then went off to bring cheer to the rest of the ship. "Bringing gifts to my crew?"

"Oh, Mal, don't." Inara sighed.

"Well you get her all dolled up and then send her to me, she'll have first watch."

Being alone scared him. He would never admit it, but it did. As he sat staring into the black, he knew she'd be coming to see him, she followed orders. Mostly. He felt angry, but he knew he had no reason. He was jealous that his time with her was being taken by someone else. He wanted her company. He needed her company. He liked her. Wanted her. Needed her.

"Come in, Kaylee." Mal said, with his back turned towards the door. He had heard the light foot falls from the girl.

"Cap'n, I got here as soon as I could." Kaylee whined. "I didn't even change!"

Mal turned half way to look at the girl standing next to him. He did notice she wasn't in her grease covered coveralls. In fact he noticed that most of her wasn't covered.

"Don't be mad, Cap'n, I hurried on over." Kaylee was almost in tears.

"I'm not mad, little one, far from it." Mal said softly. For a moment there he watched her chest rise and fall from her destressed state.

"You're not?" She said smiling and rushing to hug him, which was a bit difficult since he was sitting. She ended up in his lap, hugging him tightly.

"Moods gettin' better by the second." Mal laughed.

She noticed his stares, the soft touch's and nervous habits. She noticed the way he watched her when she wasn't looking, but when she was he avoided her gaze. She liked the way he looked at her, not as most men do. He looked at her as if she was something beautiful and enchanted, not like she was just another lay. He talked to her like she was someone who was intelligent and not as if she was just a stupid farm girl. She liked the way he treated her. She liked him. She really did.

"Hey Cap'n?" she asked one night. On many occasions they would fall into a comfortable silence, sometimes trying to determine what the other one was thinking.

"Hmmm?" Was his reply.

"Why haven't we kissed yet?"

"What?!" Mal's sleepy state suddenly dissolved, leaving nothing but confused, nervousness and shock.

"Well, we been sittin' here all these nights.." Kaylee started, thinking maybe she was getting the wrong idea. "And you've been so nice to me, watching me, I thought you.."

As her words trailed off into nothing Mal shock his head at her. He wanted to tell her that he liked her, wanted to tell her that he wanted her, but he didn't know how. Kaylee watched as he struggled for words, but before he even found them, she leaned forward and caught his lips with hers.

It was always a shock when a newcomer was told that they were together, never seemed like they fit. There was even some money riding on how badly things would end, or how quickly. What they didn't see was the way he looked at her or the way she felt and acted with him. They were completely different, no one thought it would work. It couldn't work.

"Hey, Cap'n? Patience just sent us a wave." Zoe called down into his bunk.

Mal yawned and stretched in his bed. His bare chest feeling the cool breeze from the door opening. "Alright, I'll be right there."

"I'll let her know, sir." Zoe nodded. "Kaylee, you comin' up for breakfast?"

Kaylee, who has been disturbed by Mal's movement, covered her naked body and smiled. "How does she do that?"

Mal kissed the tip of her nose, shrugged and the put on his best frown. "Better get up there before Jayne eats your share."

It was their differences that made them so perfect. He was the cloud and she was the silver lining. He was her night and she was his day. Moon and sun.


End file.
